State To Call Crist To Testify Against Fmr. Florida House Speaker
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4)- Former Governor Charlie Crist may take the stand. The prosecutor in the trial of former Florida House speaker Ray Sansom has told potential jurors he plans to call Crist as a witness for the state.
During Friday's jury selection, defense attorneys said they plan to call former state Senate President Ken Pruitt and former Florida emergency management director Craig Fugate. He is now administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
State Attorney Willie Meggs has charged Sansom with arranging to wrongfully get a $6 million budget appropriation to build a hangar at the Destin airport at co-defendant Jay Odom's request. The hangar was allegedly for Odom's use. Odom, a developer and owner of a private jet service, is Sansom's friend and a contributor to the Republican Party.
Defense lawyers say the money was for a new hurricane-proof emergency operations center. Sansom, a Republican, represented the Destin area in the Legislature.
E-mails in evidence show that officials at Northwest Florida State College, which was involved in the deal, reached out to Crist's representative about getting money for the building put in the governor's proposed 2007 budget. Pruitt was in charge of budget matters throughout many of his years as a legislator. Former college president Bob Richburg has agreed to testify against Sansom and Odom.
Lawyers spent much of the morning individually quizzing those potential jurors who said they had heard something about the case. Attorneys generally try to exclude those people with prior knowledge of a case.
One man was direct: "I don't think Mr. Sansom should be here today," he said. He was excused.
Others said they would have no problem putting aside what they recalled about the case. Questions were about news reports, blog postings and office scuttlebutt they were aware of.
Those interviewed included a college professor, lawyers, a retired state employee, a high school teacher, a Florida State University athletics worker, and an auditor for the Legislature who examines state agencies.
All the potential jurors, including one who is hearing impaired, come from the greater Tallahassee area.
Jury selection continues through Friday. Lawyers said they hoped to have a jury picked by the end of the day and deliver opening statements Monday morning. The trial is expected to last about two weeks.
Earlier in the day, Circuit Judge Terry Lewis dismissed official misconduct charges in the case. Meggs then told the court he had dropped perjury charges. That leaves charges of grand theft and conspiracy to commit grand theft against both men.
Meggs also explained to possible jurors that, under Florida law, attempted theft is the same as theft.
The longest individual penalty is 30 years in prison.
(© 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
